It’s getting to be that time of year, the time when we dive head first into the polluted sea of year-end listmania. Our listmania extravaganza comes in four parts. First, we re-print assorted lists of the year’s best albums, leeched from other web sites and magazines. Second, we collect our readers’ lists of the songs they enjoyed the most from the year that’s rapidly drawing to a close. Third, we post the year-end lists of our own staff and assorted guest writers. And fourth, we roll out our list of the year’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs.

And that last list is the subject of this post (we’ll be inviting you to give us your lists of the year’s best albums as we get closer to the actual end of the year — so start thinking about that).

In case you’ve forgotten, or you’ve become an NCS reader since this time last year, here’s what this is about:

To repeat, this isn’t a list of the best metal albums of the year. It’s not even our list of the bestindividual extreme metal songs of the year — though some of the songs might actually be among the best of the year. Instead, ours is a list of the most infectious extreme metal songs we’ve heard this year. We’re talking about songs that might produce involuntary physical movement, songs that have got catchy rhythms, memorable melodies, sweet grooves, or anything else that sticks the song in your head and makes you want to keep listening to it.

To be one of the most infectious songs of the year, it’s got to be something that worms its way into your brain to such an extent you can’t get it out (and wouldn’t want to) — you mentally replay it at unexpected times and you go back to the song repeatedly for listening.

Maybe it’s the kind of song that has become one of your favorites for some kind of activity — whether it be drinking or smoking, working out, humping, rolling down the road in some kind of wheeled vehicle with the volume turned up, trying to drown out your kids, doing your laundry, doing school work, doing actual paying work, pleasuring yourself while gazing at a photo of me, getting into the right kind of mood or out of the wrong one, or even just day-dreaming.

I’ve already got my own working list of candidates and I’m going to collect suggestions from our regular writers, but no doubt we will overlook some gems. So, here’s what I want: Please leave comments to this post with your suggestions — or e-mail them to: islander@nocleansinging.com

I’ll then pick what I think are the most infectious tracks of the year and start playing those songs for you in groups of two as we get closer to year-end. The first year we did this, I limited the list to 10 songs. In 2010, I expanded it to 30. In 2011 it grew to 39. Last year it topped out at 56! As you can see, I have a really fuckin’ hard time making decisions. I have no idea how many songs we’ll feature this year.

So, reflect on the music you’ve really been enjoying this year and please let us hear from you. By leaving your favorites in the comments, this post will also become a way for other metal fans to find new music.

Wormed – Xenoverse Discharger
Whoretopsy – Nature’s Pocket (The album is not out yet, but this single is kickass.)
Gorguts – The Battle of Chamdo
Eibon – The Void Settlers
Bring Me The Horizon – And The Snakes Start To Sing
The Body – Bearer of Bad Tidings
The Body – The Ebb And Flow of Tides In A Sea Of Ash
Rivers of Nihil – Rain Eater
Portal – Curtain
Guttural Secrete – Deadened Prior to Coitus
Locrian – Return To Annihilation

Holy shit. On the one hand, I’m glad I invited other ideas, because I overlooked so many of these or haven’t heard them at all. On the other hand, my list is now growing like mushrooms after a heavy rain.

I’ve been thinking about this list all year, and the two songs which stay on the list are:

Vreid – The Reap
Bölzer – Entranced by the Wolfshook

Right now, I would probably add the following songs:

Mitochondrion – Insummation (I think it is mostly the breakdowns in the last couple of minutes that are keeping this one in my head)
Thrawsunblat – Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings (I agree that the other Thrawsunblat pick above is infectious, but this one has been in my head for months)
Darkthrone – Lesser Men (I saw the “Leave No Cross Unturned” pick above, and I think that is also a good choice)
Exhumed – Coins Upon the Eyes

After I have had more time to listen to it, I think one of the songs from the new Carcass album would also make this list.

This is unfortunately only a few. There is more, just can’t think of them at the moment.

Would also love to add other things that I’ve come across but are from previous years, that I only found out about this year: Agruss, Advent Sorrow, Doomsday, Chrome Waves, The Senseless and Nagelfar (Hünengrab im Herbst) to name but a few.

I may be a bit biased with this (being that it’s off my current AOTY), but “Eyes Become Black” by Voices is.. like, the perfect black metal song of 2013. There are definitely better songs on the album, but that one in particular has everything that’s great about the band on display. Even at 6 minutes, it’s way too short. I almost always replay it as soon as the song’s over.

Also I think it’s already been mentioned, but either “Serpent Moon” or “Bone Dust” by Skeletal Spectre. Both those songs are criminally infectious.

I might argue that “Eyes Become Black” is the best song on the album, and it’s one of my favorite songs/albums of the year. I’ll second this for the list, in part because I don’t think that album has gotten enough exposure.